Al Ain Faces Slovenia’s Koper and Croatia’s HNK Gorica on 9 & 14 August.. Issam Abdullah Cushions the Impact of Players’ Injuries and Hailed Their Seriousness and Commitment
Issam Abdullah, Al Ain Team Administrative Manager, stressed the importance of the last phase of the away preseason training camp in Slovenia scheduled to last for 10 days, so ass the technical staff assess the technical status and level of players considering the absence of the international players who left the camp to join the UAE National Football Team.
He stated that the team is scheduled to play two friendly matches in Slovenia against Slovenia’s Koper and Croatia’s HNK Gorica on 9 and 14 August respectively. “These two coming matches are a good chance to assess the technical level and readiness of players who did not have the chance to play full 90 minutes during the past first and second phases of the training program. Also, it is a good chance to assess the quality and skills of those players,” said he.
Issam Abdullah cushioned the impact of injuries that certain players suffered from during the past two phases and stressed: “It has zero impact on their excellent robust skills as the medical staff are taking care of their injuries with the aim to grant the player the chance to show their genuine skills.” He addressed a tank you message to all players: “I have myself obliged to hail all the players who pushed themselves to the limit by being so keen, willing, committed, well-disciplined and enjoying the strong desire to finish this stage acquiring the desired gains.”
Responding to a question on his assessment of the gains of the second phase of the away training camp held in Croatia, he commented: “We believe that the second phase of the away preseason training program achieved the desired gains due to the players’ robust performance and their satisfactory level of physical fitness they exhibited during their match against ES Sétif. On top of that, the team did not suffer any injuries.”
Issam Abdullah also hailed the stellar reaction of the “Boss’” players in the two matches during the first phase of the camp. “That was unexpected! Players at such a level are not meant to play full 90 minutes; on the contrary, that should be done gradually.” He further explained: “A number of players ran for 11-12 on average. Indeed, this shows how valuable these training sessions are! Not to forget also their seriousness during the first 20 days of the training camp.”
He added: “We expected the physical fitness of the whole team will be affected by the two-month break. However, their performance was satisfactory despite the absence of Amoory, Berg who took a leave following the end of Russia World Cup 2018 and El Shahat who joined
the camp later on.” He stated that the most impressive thing in the players’ performance was that they fought desperately during the matches against the Algerian team. “We deserved to qualify to the following stage of the Arab Club Champions Cup if we took in consideration that the first match was played at their pitch while the second match was played in ours. Also, our performance was greatly affected by the absence of the three “international” key players: Mohammed Ahmad, Ahmad Barman and Mohannad Al Enzi who joined the UAE National Football Team training camp.”
Issam Abdullah also highlighted the pros and cons of their two matches played against Algeria’s ES Sétif despite losing the chance to qualify focusing on Mohammad Abdul Rahman who did his best and proved that he is a quality and valuable player to the team. He also commended Berg’s level of performance within the 30 minutes he played against second leg match against Sétif. “All of these excellent indicators of the team’s level of readiness and performance makes observers and fans of the “Boss” feel contended and satisfied about the team’s performance up that stage.”
Issam Abdullah concluded his statement by expressing his thanks and appreciation for all the staffs of Al Ain Club who spared no efforts to ensure the success of the past training stages. “Absolutely, Al Ain Club did their best to host the two matches against ES Sétif. Also, I would like to avail this opportunity to thank members of the Organization Committee of the Arab Club Champions Cup for their highly appreciated cooperation with Al Ain Club that led to organizing a successful sport event.”
